Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

This novel is a slow burn. I enjoy when pacing matches the experience of something - such as a chronic medical condition. It doesn’t make it a joy to read (should a book about chronic symptoms be a joy to experience?) but feels authentic.

A narrator with a chronic illness makes two new friends. One is a swimmer with illness who champions activity by meeting a he pool or baths. The other friend likes to sit on the balcony and walk. It's the dichotomy of the treatment and care of unseen illness that is represented that I related to. The story sets up around the rivalry of the friends although they haven't met. But its not really enough to drive a novel and it drags a bit in places. I appreciate the subject and it is written in a thoughtful and destigmatizing way.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

4.5 - It took me a second to get used to the writing style/almost free flowing verse, but once I did, WOW. To all my chronically ill/chronic pain friends out there, PLEASE read this book!! I cannot express how much this book moved me and spoke to the very core of the struggles and how complex chronic pain especially can be.

Body Friend follows the narrator, who has just received surgery on her leg to try and relieve some of the pain that her chronic illness has caused. As she recovers, she is forced to push herself to go to physical therapy, specifically aqua therapy, where she meets Frieda, a young woman who also suffers with a chronic illness, who deals with her pain and illness by pushing her body physically and swimming. The narrator is caught up in the whirlwind of wanting to keep up with Frieda, loving the way that swimming makes her body feel, but then soon realizes how exhausting and debilitating the swimming is making her. When she steps away from the pool, she begins walking, and finds Sylvia, another young woman who suffers with a chronic illness. Sylvia personifies the rest stereotype of chronic illness. She is constantly pushing the narrator to take a break, to stop pushing herself physically, to sleep and sleep, and lull herself into another cycle of pain and illness.

The way that this book was written was so smart. I underlined SO MANY quotes, I had never seen chronic pain so aptly described. The way that Frieda and Sylvia personified so many different things, from the stereotypes that people with chronic pain/illness are often forced to reckon with (you need to exercise/you need to rest), the inner turmoil that we often find ourselves grappling with, and the overall ups and downs, the constant cycle of pushing yourself too much and over the edge. I genuinely want to force everyone I know to read this book just so they can understand what it feels like to live in a body burdened with chronic pain.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!!

An almost fever dream of a novel. An unnamed narrator has been living with pain and now she's met two other women- Frida and Sylvia-who both urge her to take the route they have to relief, While clearly meant to represent Kahlo and Plath, they feel original. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is one that those who have dealt with chronic pain may well recognize some of their own experience.

This is a well written novel about friendship gained and lost. I don't think it's a perfect novel, sometimes the story dragged, and I wasn't really sure what the outcome would be for the main character. This is a very character-driven and cerebral story. What this author excelled at was creating a mood. I felt tension and dread while reading this, which made me interested in picking this book back up every night. A good storyteller but I wanted more plot.

An engrossing study of chronic pain. While the source of the pain is somewhat shrouded, the young woman at the center of the story works hard at recovery. When she meets two women who struggle with their own chronic pain, she takes solace in their very different approaches to manage their pain. One encourages on-going exercise and forcing oneself to get up and go; the other relies on turning inward and seeking emotional serenity. Throughout, her partner provides an anchor in the physical world by providing support, love, and acceptance. This is. in stark contrast to her friends who each push her to follow their paths rather than a path of her own.

This Australian novelist makes her U.S. debut with a heady plunge into how we as a society define illness and recovery and the confusion and despair that can accompany our own and society's expectations for "success." The plot may seem thinly drawn--a young woman is in recovery from an an operation that addressed a chronic condition that caused her considerable pain. Her narrative becomes cyclical as she addresses the demands of her body and psyche, at times feeling energized and determined to prove her recovery is on track, and at other times sitting with the pain and isolation that her condition can bring. Her interior dialogue is externalized in the form of two other women she meets, both seeming to her to be "just like her" with similar physical appearances and both in recovery from the same (unnamed) medical condition. The two "body friends" never meet. They also never meet her live-in boyfriend, and only seem to exist in her struggle with how to define herself and navigate the poles between despair and confidence.

Body Friend will appeal to readers open to extended reflection on disability and physicality, with a narrator whose openness to exploring the depths of her feelings keeps the pages turning. There is no grand resolution here, but a final thought warns us not to put her thoughts and experiences into boxes, because "such formulations would have felt like an intolerable violence to me, a piercing and pinning down of story and logic, narrative and symbolism, when none of it resembled what it felt like."

Overall, a brilliant and brave piece of writing.

This was an intimate and tender story that's like nothing l've read before. What sets this book apart is the brilliance of Brabon's writing. Despite not even knowing our protagonists name I felt so deeply a part of her, her mind and her body, and the connection to Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Path is incredibly clever. This won't be for everyone, you are very much living inside the head of the protagonist, exploring the relationship between body and self. So if you're looking for something a bit more faced past and plot driven this won't be for you. To this point I did find it a little long, however I very much appreciated reading something so unique and wonderful.

"Body Friend" is a gentle book. Two women meet in a hydrotherapy pool and bond because of their similarities and shared experiences. The book is well written, but without a narrative drive I had to push myself to finish. However, I would recommend this for anyone who appreciates subtle stories with themes of illness, the body, and female friendships. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #BodyFriend #NetGalley